A toaster is one of those kitchen appliances that run on electricity. Almost every home has this appliance because it is the perfect tool for making toast and bagels.
If you are a lover of bagels and toasts, you know how imperative a toaster is to make them. A toaster is an indispensable tool in our kitchens. It is a convenient tool for cooking smaller meals with minimal energy.
Most people have toasted bread for breakfast because it is easy to prepare and requires less time. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day that should not be missed.
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Without further delay, we will be looking at the Top 7 products from America’s Test Kitchen Best Toasters.
How We Test Toasters?
Over the years, the BeefSteakVeg has tested hundreds of appliances, including toasters and toaster ovens, to find the best ones. We left no crumb behind in our quest to make the perfect toast and find the best toaster on the market, testing more than 58 toasters to see how quickly and evenly they toast white bread.
To evaluate the range, we lined up toasted slices from light to dark side by side. We compared the consistency of successive batches of toasting. We read the owner’s manual and assessed the controls’ usability, surface temperatures, and cleanability (we love a removable crumb tray!).
We checked to see if the slots could hold thick bagels, long slices of bread, and small English muffins. We also looked to see if the slices popped up high enough for easy grabbing.
Reviews of America’s Test Kitchen Best Toaster Oven of 2021
Here are top rated Toaster Oven on the market by consumer reports
Top 1 – Toaster Oven America’s test Kitchen by Breville BOV845BSS
This product has inbuilt convection that helps speed up your cooking time by replacing the cold air within the toaster with heated air. The interior of this toaster is well coated with a non-stick paint that makes cleanup and maintenance easy
The LED light automatically turns on when the door is open. The toaster automatically shuts off when your food is ready. The 10 preset functions allow you to have control during your food preparation. The control panel allows you to choose the temperature to suit your needs.
It comes with a 13-inch non-stick pizza pan, 12 by 12 broiling rack, and a 12 by 12 baking pan. This product can hold up six slices of bread or a 13-inch pizza.
It features ten custom cooking functions such as cookies, bagel, roast, bake, roast, slow cook, reheat, warm, and pizza. It comes with a LED light that brightens the interior and enables you to see through as your food cooks. The door is built with glass that allows you to keep an eye on your meal.
Pros:
- LED light
- Ten preset cooking functions
- Versatile
- Non-stick interior
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Heavyweight
Top 2- Cuisinart Metal Classic Toaster
This 2-slice toaster from Cuisinart has a black stainless finish with well-polished chrome that perfectly fits into any kitchen decor. It features six custom settings, a slide-out crumb tray, and LED lights. The LED lights indicate when the bread is fully toasted.
This product is constructed with both stainless steel and BPA free plastic material.
The slide-out crumb tray allows you to clean the toaster easily. It does not take up much countertop space. This product is easy to use and maintain. It is a perfect gift item for your friends and family. The convenient cord wrap enables you to maintain a tidy countertop. This toaster comes with two browning dials and six preset cooking functions. It features additional custom control such as dual bagel, defrosts, and reheat.
This product is constructed with non-toxic material and has a three years warranty offer. The extra lift carriage helps you easily remove smaller foods by bringing it to the top.
Pros
- Detachable crumb tray
- Beautiful design
- Three years warranty
- LED indicator
Cons
- No toast alert feature
- Does not toast evenly.
Top 3 – Breville BTA730XL 4-Slice Toaster: best Long-Slot Toasters choice by cooksillustrated
The next product on this list is a 4-slice toaster from Breville made with a premium stainless steel material. The lift and look lever allow you to check how the toasting process is going by raising and lowering the carriage without disruption. The lift function also helps you to reach smaller food like English muffins.
This toaster can hold up any shape and size of slices of bread. It comes with a year’s warranty. The LED light shows the progress of your cooking. This product has five settings that help you achieve your desired browning result. The crumb tray makes cleanup easy and less stressful.
You can adjust the volume of the alert sound to suit your proximity; it can be adjusted to either mute, low, or high. The control panel has other functions such as cancel, a bit more, frozen, and bagel. A bit more settings allow you to add additional time to your toasting cycle for better results.
Pros
- Adjustable toast alarm
- Lift and look feature
- Longer slot
- A bit more function
- LED light
Cons
- Does not toast evenly
- The lift lever is not high enough
Top 4- Breville BOV900BSS – The Best Air-Fryer Toaster Oven
This product is uniquely designed with 2-speed convection fans, a regular fan, and a super fan. The super convection fan produces a higher volume of hot air and ensures the heat is evenly distributed and retained. This is the best option for dehydrating, roasting, and air frying.
The inner chamber is spacious enough to take up large quantities of food. It can comfortably hold up 12 muffin cup trays, nine by 13-inch pans, a whole chicken, and more. This product comes with 13 custom cooking styles: broiling, air frying, roasting, baking, warming, dehydrating, slow cooking, reheating, toasting, bagel, cookies, proof, and pizza.
Breville Convection offers precision cooking by spreading the heated air properly within the toaster.
The LCD allows you to manage the inbuilt smart functions. It has a two years limited warranty. The LED indicator automatically comes on at the end of the cooking process and can be switched with a button.
Pros
- Super-versatile
- Can hold up large foods
- Advanced convection technology
- 2-year warranty
- LCD
Cons
- The door does not shut tightly
Top 5- Dash Best Mini Toaster
Dash toaster takes less space on your kitchen top and is available in different colors that suit any kitchen décor. You get a clear view of your toast as it cooks through the one-sided glass window. The knob on the toaster helps you choose from the seven toasting settings for precise browning results. The automatic shut off feature prevents your toast from getting burnt and the toaster from overheating.
This 2-slice toaster has extra-wide slots that hold up longer and thickest bread slices effortlessly. The non-electric components are easy to clean. The seven browning levels allow you to toast your bread just the way you like it from lighter toast to a more crispy toast.
The custom preset for a bagel, reheat, and defrost is easy to use to achieve better results. The detachable glass panel and crumb tray make cleanup easy as a breeze. It includes a recipe book. The buttons allow you to either choose your preferred setting or use the preset features.
Pros
- Even heating
- Easy to clean
- Multiple colors
- Auto shut off
- Seven various browning options
Cons
- No lift-high feature
Top 6- Hamilton Beach 4 Slice Extra Wide Slot Toaster
This portable toaster is a great gift idea for all occasions. The large slots can hold up any slice of toast from English muffins, artisan bread to bagels without fear of crushing them, providing you with better results. The bagel function is designed to warm the outer part and make the side cut crispy.
This sleek, compact toaster takes up a little countertop space and perfectly suits any kitchen decor. You can stop the toasting process halfway with the cancel function. The high lift makes it easy to reach smaller toast, even when the food gets stuck. The auto shut off feature offers safety and switches the toaster off at the end of the cycle to prevent overheating.
The defrost button turns your frozen pancakes and waffles to a warm, golden brown toast. The exterior stays cool and does not heat up during operation. The illuminated buttons allow you to control the toaster. The crumb tray provides you with easy cleanup.
Pros
- High lift
- Extra-wide slots
- Cleaning tray
- Shade selector
- Elegant design
Cons
- The highest browning options burn the bread.
Top 7- AmazonBasics 2 Slice, Extra-Wide Slot Toaster: Best Budget
This 2-slice toaster has wider slots to accommodate thick slices and bagels. It allows you to toast two slices of bread at once. The lift lever allows you to safely remove the smaller slice from the toaster without burning your fingers. The six shade of brown settings allows you to meet the individual preference of your family. The higher setting produces darker, crispy toast, and the lower setting produces lighter toast.
The LED indicator enables you to see the setting at a glance. The bagel setting warms the outside and makes the inside crispy.
The frozen function defrosts your pancakes and bread. The illuminated buttons indicate various settings. The power cord wrap at the back of the toaster helps reduce clutter on your countertop.
The detachable crumb tray allows you to trash crumbs and faster the cleanup process. This sleek black toaster produces reliable results and is backed by a year warranty from AmazonBasics. The cancel setting provides you with precision control as you cook.
Pros
- Adjustable shade settings
- Extra lift lever
- Cancel function
- Wider slots
- Light indicator
Cons
- Too lightweight
- No toast alarm
What Should I Look For When Buying A Toaster?
To avoid buying a product that does not meet your cooking needs or suit your preference. There are some important features to watch out for. Let’s consider some of the things you should look out for when buying a toaster.
1. Slot size
Some brands have extra-wide slots that can hold up thicker and longer bread without squashing the toast. It is easier to toast thicker slices of bread with a wide slot.
The size of the slots should be able to accommodate different shapes and sizes of toast with ease from small bread, such as English muffins to thicker bagels. The slot should not only be wide, but deep as well.
2. Browning settings
The browning setting helps you to satisfy everyone’s preference and taste in the family. You can choose the color and crispiness of your toast with the browning options. The reason why most people use a toaster is to get an even brown toast. These toasters produce consistent browning results even after toasting multiple batches.
Most brands feature different browning options for you to choose from as you cook. You get up to 7 browning options in some toasters, from light brown to darker brown. The browning options allow you to create your toasties the way you want.
3. Extra lift lever
The lever helps you to retrieve your slices by popping up your toast out of the toaster. The lift lever should be able to go as high as you want so that you can easily reach out for the smaller slices of bread without burning your fingers.
4. Removable crumb tray
Before you buy a toaster, ensure the cleanup system is swift, it takes a whole lot of time and effort to get bread crumbs out of a toaster without a cleaning tray.
The removable crumb tray allows you to dispose of bread crumbs without stress. You just have to slide the tray out of the toaster to clean. Without the crumb tray, cleaning the toaster will be a difficult task.
5. Auto shut off
This is a safety feature that automatically switches off the toaster after the cycle is over or when it senses that the device is overheating. Auto shut off prevents your toast from getting burnt. Your toasts automatically pop up when it’s ready.
How Does A Toaster Work?
This is an illustration of how a toaster produces an excellent result within a short time frame. The toaster has some radiators inside it that generate hot air when plug to an electric power source, and the surface is made of chrome wires through which the electricity flows.
The power released is converted into heat energy. These chrome wires are an excellent conductor, and the surface becomes heated after absorbing the energy.
When you place your bread slices in the toaster, the lever forces the chrome surface together. The hot heat that gets released through the wires helps burn your bread slices into toast in a few minutes.
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CONCLUSION
The best toaster on this review is Breville Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven. This toaster is built with an advanced technology featuring two different convection fans for excellent and precision cooking. It is large enough to cook for a family of five at once and comes with 13 preset functions, LCD, and LED light.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the kitchen appliances that we often use is a toaster. Our expectations of a toaster can sometimes be too high; we expect it to last for decades like other appliances, which is not so. You use it almost every day when preparing breakfast or snacks, so you cannot expect it to last for many years.
The life expectancy of a toaster depends on the quality, usage, and maintenance. The average lifespan of a toaster ranges from five to seven years. Consider the warranty coverage before you buy; this will give you an insight on its durability.
Cleaning the toaster after each use extends the lifespan. But if not properly cleaned and maintained, it won’t last for long.
Getting either a toaster or a toaster oven is based on your personal preferences, unlike the toaster oven that requires more toasting time. The hot air within the toaster browns the bread consistently within a few minutes.
A toaster is the best option for an evenly, crispy toast. It is compact, portable and takes a little kitchen top space, unlike the toaster oven, which is a bit bigger.
A toaster oven has extra cooking options that meet your other cooking needs, such as roasting, baking, air frying, and more. You get to save yourself some money and countertop space when you have all these functions in one product. Instead of having an oven and a toast in a small kitchen space, you can just buy a toaster oven.
The amount you should spend on a toaster depends on your pocket and the kind of product you intend to buy. A high-quality model with extra features like auto shut off, LED indicator, illuminated buttons, LCD, and others will cost more than a low-quality product without extra features.
The price can range from 10 dollars to 200 dollars, and more. Look for a product from a trusted brand that is within your budget range and buy from them.
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